Nicolás Maduro, wife face new criminal charges
Venezuela’s ousted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face a new criminal charge in the United States, accused of conspiring to torture political opponents and American citizens.
Prosecutors allege the couple used repression to maintain their grip on power, including beatings and electric shocks.
The charge expands an existing drug-trafficking case against them in New York, where both remain in custody.
The revised indictment adds conspiracy to commit torture to the charges against Maduro and Flores.
Prosecutors cite the alleged torture of a Venezuelan military officer in 2013 and an American detained in 2022.
Separately, a federal judge has rejected Flores’ request for release on health grounds.
Her lawyers say she needs a cardiac procedure.
Both have been held in Brooklyn since American forces captured them in Caracas in January.
They pleaded not guilty to the earlier drug charges.
Flores’ lawyer said he had not yet reviewed the new allegations with her.
Their trial is scheduled for June next year.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.sabcnews.com — the content belongs to SABC News.
